Centrifugal liquid-separator



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

0'. AiBAGKSTROM- GENTRIFUGAL LIQUID SEPARATO'R.

Patentd Aug. 9, 1887.

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GENTRIPUGAL LIQUID SEPARATOR.

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' UNIT D STATES PATENT OFFICE.

O. AXEL BAOKSTROM, OF TRENTON, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO THE BACK- STROM OENTRIFUGAL SEPARATOROOMPANY, OF NE\V JERSEY.

CENTRIFUGAL LIQUIDQSEYPAIRATOR.

SPECIFICATION formingpari: of Letters Patent No. 368,046, dated August 9, 1887. Application filed January 15, 1887. Serial No. 224,464. (No model.)

To aZZ whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, C. AXEL BACKSTRQM, a citizen of the United States, residing at Trenton, in the county of Mercer, State of New J ersey, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Centrifugal LiquidSeparators, of which the'following is aspecification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention has relation to centrifugal machines of that class which are employed for separating liquids into their constituent elements when the latter are of diiferent specific gravities.

Among the objects of the invention is the provision of a centrifugal machine which is adapted to' be operated by hand-power, or

power equal thereto, to separate a practicable quantity of liquid into its constituents.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear in the following description, and the novel features thereof will be particularly pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective, and Fig. 2 is asnbstantially vertical section, of a centrifugal machine embodying my invention. Fig. 3 is'a partial horizontal section on the line X of the separating bowl or chamber. Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the lower portion of the spindle.

Like letters indicate like parts in all the figures of the drawings.

Although I herein describe my invention as applied in use to the separation of cream from milk, I do not limit said inventionto any particular use. Among the requisites of a hand separating-machine of the class described are mechanical devices for rotating the bowl which shall possess a minimum frictional contact with each other, means for supplying the milk in a uniform quantity regardless of the depthof milk in the supply-tank, a uniformity in the quantityof milk passing through the bowl during the process of separation, and a bowl.

of such a character as to subject the milk passing thereth'rough to the separating process for a definite period. These requisites being met, the machine produced will be capable of being operated by hand, and its size, weight, and cost of manufacture will be such as to place the machine within the reach of individual dairymen as universally as is the churn.

Referring to the drawings, A represents a the belt 13 extends from the pulley B to the source of power, the hand-wheel remaining idle, or, if desired, being removed.

In the bearing A, which is concentric, is arranged a step, D, which is centrally bored, as at D, and adapted at its upper end to receive a conical convex-ended pin, E. The step D is exteriorly screw-threaded, as at D", for thc reception of an adj usting-nut, F, which has formed as a part thereof an oil-cup, F. Upon the step and encircling the same is a sleeve pulley or gear, G, the teeth G of which are adapted to mesh with the master-gear In other words, the gear G has its hub extended to fit upon the step and is interiorly grooved in spiral form, as at G", the spiral rising in a direction opposite to the designed rotation of the gear, in order that oil within the cup F shall be carried upwardly within the sleeve or hub to lubricate the same.

The upper end of the sleeve is provided with a depending conical removable pin, E, having a convex end similar to and arranged to bear upon'the pin E in the step, whereby the pulley, spindle, and bowl are hung or supported upon the pin E, the two pins forming the principal bearing of the parts. The lower end of the spindle H is transversely slotted, as at H, (see Fig. 4,) and in the upper end of the gear or pulley hub or sleeve is a transverse rod, H which passes through the slot H of the spindle, whereby the latter is removably connected with the gear or pulley, so that these parts may be separated by lifting the spindle vertically from the pulley, and yet-when in connection any rotation of the pulley causes a like movementin the spindle and in the drum mounted thereon. Anysuitable material may be employed for the pins E E as, for example, highlytempered steel.

The spindle H is maintained in the hearing A. by the use of the wcll-known rubber' or other elastic ring, I. The collar 1 is bored larger than the spindle, in order to permit of the latter finding its own center during its rotation. The hearing A is flanged, as at A for the reception of the cream and milk receiv ing and discharging vessel J, which is by an annular upwardly-inclined flange divided into two annular chambers, J J, each having a discharge-pipe, J" J", respectively. This vessel,when made of sheet metal, may be provided with strength ening-brackets J, extending from its depending flange or annular collar J to and alongthebottomof thevcssel. Thcinnerwall, J of the vessel encircles thebowl-spindle. The bowl 1C is in this instance provided with vertical blades 1C R all except the latter being provided with a port, 1C, theport of one blade being at its lower outer corner and the port of the next succeeding blade being at its upper outer corner. Along the edge of the imporforate blade K there is arranged a cream groove, guide, or trough, L, which terminates at a short distance from the top of the blade, as at L, Fig. 1. The bowl K is in thisinstauce provided with a depending neck, K, and the inner edges of the blades terminatea little outside of the inner vertical wall of thcsaid neck. In the bottom of the bowl is a discharge-port, K, for the milk, which is conducted thereto by a pipe, K, extending along the wall of the neck, the bottom of the bowl, and to the vertical wall of the latter.

A discharge-port, 1i, having a screw-threaded tube seated therein, is formed in the neck of the vessel for the delivery thercthrough of cream into the chamber J of the vessel J. A supply-vessel, M, is mounted upon the spindle, as shown, and has a delivcry-pipe, M, projecting radially toward the vertical wall of the bowl. seen that the supply-pipe M is arranged at one side of the imperforatc blade 1?, while the discharge-pipe K is arranged at an opposite side thereof.

N represents a supply-tank in which the milk or other liquid to be separated is stored, and from. which it is conducted into the supply-vessel M of the bowl by means of an adjustable siphon, the longer leg, 0, of which is provided with a cook or valve, P. The longer arm, 0, of the siphon passes through the bottom of the tank, while the shorter arm, 0, thereof terminates a distance from the bottom and is supported within the can or tank and above the bottom by a bracket, 0".

0 represents a U-shaped pipe adapted to fit and slide within the longer and shorter arms of the siphon, and constitutes the bend of the siphon. Now, disregarding the faucet or cock P, or considering the same to be open,

By reference to Fig. 3 it will be and supposing the upper surface of the milk within the tank N to be at the line X, there is of course greater pressure at the point where the milk enters the shorter arm of the siphon than there would be if the upper surface of the milk were at the line Y. Now, it is well known that in order to cause a flow of liquid through the ordinary siphon suction must be supplied at the end of the longer arm. In my construction, however, this necessity is obvi ated, for by raising the sliding U-shaped pipe 0 to or above the position shown in dotted lines the increased pressure of the liquid at that depth is utilized to cause a flow through the siphon, after which the pipe is lowered. to the position shown in full lines, when the pressurcremains the same as though the liquid in the vessel were no deeper than with the upper surface at the line Y. In this manner a continuous uniform pressureofsupply is maintained. The quantity delivered from the tank into the receivingvessel of the bowl is controlled by the cock P, so that no more liquid is delivered into the bowl than can be properly separated thereby and delivered therefrom. 3y extending the height of the bowl in proportion to its diameter, and by arranging the ports of the vertical blades as described, and by providing the cream groove or guide L, I am able to subject a given quantity of milk or other liquid to the separating operation for a desired period.

The service performed by the creanrgroove is to receive the cream as fast as or, more prop erly speaking, in the locality where) it is first separated in the bowl. this bowl the milk, being delivered from. the the vessel M through the pipe M, proceeds in a current around and up and down along the inner wall of the bowl, while the cream, being of lighter specific gravity, collects in an annular body near the center of the bowl. Now, by reason of the relative height of the bowl, the cream naturally assumes about the position indicated by the diagonal dotted line Z that is to say, the an nular body ofcream within the bowl is wider atits top than at lower portions thereof; hence it is advisable to provide a guide or way of escape or delivery from the bowl which shall be free from interference by the wider annular body of milk in the lower part of the bowl and above its neck, so that by the action of gravity alone the cream may be delivered from the bowl through the port J and into the chamber J, and out of said chamber into any suitable receptacle, J. The skimmed milk is delivered by the pipe K through the port K, into the chamber J of the vessel J, and from thence into any suitable receptacle by means of the pipe J. The purpose of the cock I, as before stated, is to 0011- trol-that is, to let in and cut off-thc supply of liquid from the tank. Now, without the siphon, which is to control the pressure regardless of the depth of liquid in the tank, a partial opening of the cock to re ulate the quantity delivered from the tank would not In the operation of answer the purpose in View, because-after a time the pressure of the liquid in the tank becomes lessened; at which time it would be necessary to open the cock still farther.

A uniformity of supply to the bowl of the machine being essential to a perfect operation, there is a material co-operation between said bowl and the tank provided with the siphon, and still the tank provided with the siphon may be employed with bowls differing in construction from that herein shown and described. So, also, other novel features of my invention may be embodiedin centrifugal machines differing in other respects from that herein shown and described. notlimit my invention to a use of all the novel features thereof in one machine of the class specified.

What I claim isp 1. In a centrifugal machine, a gear or pulley having one end of its hub conically bored and provided with a removable convex pin and the remaining portion of its hub fitted to embrace and operate upon a step having a similar pin, substantially as specified.

2. In a centrifugal machine, a step screwthreaded for adjustment and provided with an adjusting-nut made'in the form of an oil-bowl, in combination with an interiorly spirallygrooved pulley bored to fit the step, substantially as specified.

3. In a centrifugal machine, a pulley or gear I therefore do provided with an internal spiral oil-groove,

the spiral rising in the direction opposite'to the rotation of the pulley or gear, in combination with an oil bowl or reservoir whereby the oil is carried upward along the bearing within the pulley by the rotation thereof, substantially as specified.

4. The combination, with the separatingbowl of a centrifugal machine, of a tank mounted above the bowl and provided with a short and long arm of an adjustable siphon, the lattersupportcd within and above the bottom of the tank, a movable sipholrbend, and a cock arranged in the longer arm of the siphon, substantially as specified.

5. The combination of the step D, pin E, gear or pulley G, having pin E and rod II", and the spindle II, slotted as at H, substantially as specified.

-6. The combination, with the bowl K, having-discharge-ports K K, and the vertical blades K, having ports K", of the imperforate blade K the cream guide or groove L, and the discharge-pipe K substantially as specified. p

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

O. AXEL BAGKSTROM.

YVitnesses:

E. B. STOCKING, \V. SARGENT DUVALL. 

